The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Port seasonal workers seek justice

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Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007
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Port seasonal workers seek justice

Staff Reporter

BERHAMPUR: Seasonal workers of the port at Gopalpur have asked the Chief Minister to intervene to ensure employment by the new private management of the port, Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL).

Some 830 seasonal workers were being employed during seasonal cargo handling at the port while it was being managed by the State government till 2003. In 2006-07 the State government handed over the port to the GPL for its expansion and management.

The seasonal workers were members of eight different labour unions. Among them the Gopalpur Port Workers’ Union (GPWU) was registered under the Trade Union Act, 1926 with 130 members. This gave a legal status to the union and its members to settle disputes under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

The irony is that the State government has totally ignored the existence of these seasonal workers during settlement agreement to close down the port under its management in 2003, says Chittaranjan Dash, adviser of GPWU. On the floor of the State assembly, the Minister for Commerce and Labour declared that the issue of labour force of Gopalpur port had been settled. And the settlement included VRS of workers on Nominal Muster Roll (NMR) and transfer of regular employees to other government departments. The existence of seasonal workers was totally denied.

Settlement

Since 2002 the GPWD had arrived at a settlement with the State commerce department and the former management of the Gopalpur port, to protect their livelihood when the port was to be handed over to a corporate body. The office- bearers of the union also filed a petition before the Assistant Labour Commissioner, Berhampur, for his intervention to work out the settlement agreement to protect the rights of the seasonal workers. Four years have passed since then without any action of the Labour Department. Mr. Dash says: “As per the Section 18 (3) (c) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the said settlement is binding as liability of heirs and successors of a company.” The GPWD feels the Chief Minister can intervene and call up a meeting of ministries of commerce and labour to protect the rights of these seasonal workers.

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